CBS cuts Obama audio from 'Under the Dome'

Audio of President Obama's voice has been cut from the CBS summer series "Under the Dome." (CBS)

President Obama has been left on the cutting room floor of CBS' new summer series "Under the Dome."

An audio clip of the president that was in the first hour of the series that CBS sent to critics earlier this month will be cut from the episode that will ultimately air, a CBS spokesman said. The show, based on a Stephen King book, is about a small town that for mysterious reasons becomes enclosed under a huge transparent dome.

In the scene, which comes at the end of the first hour, Obama is heard amid a slew of fake reports talking about what is going in the town. The audio of the president is actually from his remarks following Hurricane Sandy when he said the nation feels "profoundly for all the families whose lives have been upended. The most important message I have for them is that America is with you. We are standing behind you and we are going to do everything we can…”

Although the standards and practices department at CBS had approved the use, a decision was made to cut it anyway on Thursday. While use of audio from actual news events for a fictional TV show is not unusual, the network and producer Amblin Television decided that having these remarks from a real tragedy inserted in an entertainment show was inappropriate.

The network had made clear when it sent review copies of "Under the Dome" to critics that it was not a final edit. CBS had not sought approval from the White House before using the audio, a person familiar with the matter said.